Top spots clinched in football playoffs
Action from Under 9 match between Sir John A. Cumber Primary (red) and CIS ‘A’
(PFL): The 2017 CUC Primary Football League (PFL) and Girls’ Primary Football League (GPFL) regular seasons concluded this past Saturday with a number of important games that determined Champions Cup and Consolation Cup places for many schools in the upcoming playoffs. In Group A, Cayman International School (CIS) clinched top spot and the number one seeds in the Under 9 and Under 11 Champions Cup with a pair of victories over Sir John A. Cumber Primary in West Bay.
In the Under 9 encounter, goals from Chaz Ruddick in the fifth minute, Tomas Isabel in the 28th minute and Felix Lubin in the 35th minute secured a 3-0 victory and an undefeated regular season for the CIS youngsters with six wins out of six.
Likewise, a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sir John A. Cumber Primary in the Under 11 match-up also secured an undefeated regular season for the older boys with four wins out of four.
The Under 11 game was not going to be easy for CIS as the bumpy ground at the West Bay Town Hall Field was not something they were altogether familiar with. Sir John A. Cumber made it even tougher for the visitors as their ‘stingy’ defence would play a key role in limiting opportunities for the CIS forwards.
Going into halftime, both schools seemed content with the 0-0 score as most of the action took part in midfield with a number of long-range shots testing both goalkeepers.
With 38 minutes gone on the clock, CIS found the breakthrough they needed as captain on the day Jake VanDevelde blasted a ‘grass cutter’ from nearly 25 yards out that found its way through a mass of defenders and forwards in the penalty area before ending up in the back of the net.
CIS piled on the pressure in search of a second goal and Sir John A. Cumber looked threatening on the break, but there was to be no further scoring. CIS left West Bay with the 1-0 victory and top spot in Group A going into the quarterfinals.
Although going down 1-0, Sir John A. Cumber Primary finished in third place in Group A to guarantee a spot in the Under 11 Champions Cup playoffs.
Results from other games played in Group A included St Ignatius 3 vs Savannah Primary 0 (Under 9); St Ignatius 5 vs Savannah Primary 3 (Under 11); Truth For Youth 4 vs Cayman Prep ‘B’ 0 and George Town Primary 0 vs Cayman Academy 1 (Under 11 – played on Wednesday, November 15).
In Group B, it was Cayman Prep ‘A’ 4 vs Bodden Town Primary 1 (Under 9); Cayman Prep 4 vs Bodden Town Primary 0 (Under 11 – respect rule); Red Bay Primary 4 vs Triple C 0 (Under 9); Red Bay Primary 3 vs Triple C 2 (Under 11); CIS ‘B’ 0 vs South Sound Schools 4 (Under 9); NorthEast Schools 3 vs South Sound Schools 1 (Under 11); and Prospect Primary 1 vs Cayman Brac 0 (Under 11).
In the GPFL games, it was CIS 0 vs Sir John A. Cumber Primary 0; St Ignatius 3 vs Savannah Primary 0 and Prospect Primary 1 vs George Town Primary 0.
The quarterfinal stage of the 2017 CUC PFL and CUC GPFL playoffs begin this Saturday, 25 November starting at 9am at the Annex Field.
Category: Football, Primary School, Sports
